The Adventures of Arthur
by Snorelax
Summary: The year is 2238 and the Once and Future King, Arthur, has turned twenty-five. The only problem is, he, along with all the others reincarnated, do not remember anything from their past lives. It is now up to Arthur to find Merlin, who can restore everyone's memories and find a way to unite the world, fulfilling the prophecy of old. Arthur/Gwen. Merlin/Morgana. Mordred/OC.


disclaimer: I do not own BBC Merlin. Although with all my heart, I wish I did.

* * *

_once upon a time ; (narrator)_

Thunder crashed and the rain beat against the little hut ruthlessly as the man paced back and forth, in time to the pitter patter of the raindrops, around the room. He bit his fingers until he tasted blood in his mouth and groaned even louder than the thunder outside. The man placed himself down in front of the fire, rubbing his hands together from the cold. He winced every time a scream was heard from the other room and clenched his hands tightly when a moan of pain was released. He so desperately wanted to jump into the other room and help his wife, but he knew that would never be allowed. All he could do was hold himself tightly and pray.

After what seemed like eternity, the door to the small bedroom cracked open, and an old woman gestured for the man to come inside the room. Without a second thought, the man ran inside the bedroom, his eyes shimmering with tears and joy, finding himself struggling to breathe. "Anna." He choked out lovingly, as the young woman in the bed smiled at him. She held a small bundle in her arms and he found himself walking towards her, with eyes only on the bundle. "His name?" He asked Anna, finally reaching the bed. The man stared down at the little baby, admiring the baby's bright blue eyes, cute button nose, and pink lips frowning from crying. The man kissed his wife's forehead and kissed the baby, trying his hardest to stay calm and composed.

"Arthur." Anna whispered. "A name fit for a king." She said this with a happy glow in her eyes, the pain she had been feeling replaced with the sheer joy of holding her son. The father smiled and kissed them both again.

"A name fit for a king." He repeated and gingerly placed the baby in his arms. "Hello Arthur." He paused, trying to find the right words to say. "I'm John, your father." Arthur nearly cried as a response. Anna chuckled and held her arms out. John returned the baby to his mother and sat on the bed, pouting. As soon as Arthur was securely in his mother's arms again, he immediately stopped crying and yawned. "Why does he like you and not me? Well bother. This isn't fair." John crossed his arms and stared at the ground, already feeling as if he was a bad father.

"Mothers just tend to be better." Anna joked, laughing. "He's probably just tired. Don't worry, okay?" Anna rubbed her fingers against the back of John's hand and called, "Sophia! Can you get some water and the baby bed ready?"

"Yes, ma'am! Of course!" came the reply and rapid movement could be heard from the living room. The couple smiled knowingly at each other as the loud noises of the clumsy nanny continued creating ruckus around the house.

It was comfortable, it was safe. At that moment, everyone was happy.

* * *

_tragedy ; (arthur)_

"How much longer? My feet hurt." whined a ten year old Arthur. He had been walking in the forest for almost a whole day now and Arthur felt his eyes droop as they continued their trek. His senses came back immediately when his father grabbed Arthur and pulled him behind a tree. The family huddled against the trunk and Arthur felt his heart beat faster when he noticed the worried looks on his parent's faces. His mother slipped her hands into his and squeezed it tightly, while Arthur's father placed his hand firmly around his son's shoulders. "Dad?" Arthur whispered. His voice trembled with fear and he felt himself gripping tighter to his mother's fingers and hiding behind his father.

"Shush Arthur. Everything's okay." John spoke in a calm voice, but Arthur and Anna could both sense an undercurrent of worry. After a moment's pause He turned around and kissed his wife full on the mouth, much to Arthur's disgust. "I love you Anna. Keep him safe-"

"Where do you think you're going?" interrupted Anna, her eyes in a frenzy of panic. She clung to his arms, her face etched with worry and confusion. "Don't leave us." She begged. Her nails scratched his arms and he winced from the pain and from the desperation in her voice. "Please."

John looked longingly at his family. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pulling his family closer. "Okay. We'll run to those groups of trees." He pointed straight ahead and Arthur felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his legs getting ready for a sprint. "Don't look back and keep running until you reach those trees and hide. Don't wait for anyone, you got it Arthur? And if anything happens, just know that I love you." John gave his family one last peck on the forehead and prayed silently to any higher power. "Three, two, one."

The trio burst out and ran straight to a group of trees. Arrows whizzed by them, but none of them stopped to look at what it was, they kept running until they reached the grove. Arthur's father took the lead and continued running until they were in front of a waterfall. Everyone was out of breath by now and Arthur's mother leaned against the trunk of a tree to keep from fainting. "Did we lose them?" Arthur squeaked, huffing and puffing, craning his neck to see behind.

The answer came in the sounds of footsteps and twigs breaking. Anna groaned inwardly and John merely closed his eyes, thinking. "Behind the waterfall," he said finally, "is a secret cave. Just follow the tunnels and pick the right one at the fork. It leads you to a remote village. It takes about three days time, but you'll be safe. I'm positive. You must go and hide there. I'll hold them off and I'll come after you. I'll meet you at the village, I, I promise." He glanced at Anna and they both shared a knowing look. Ana breathed deeply, trying to stay strong and took Arthur's hand. But Arthur refused to budge.

"We won't leave you Father." Arthur stated. He stood tall and grasped his father's hand tightly. "We love you too much." John gave his son's small hand a squeeze and knelt down so that they were face to face. The noise of the footsteps were getting closer and louder - it seemed that the bounty hunters were running now - they would be upon the family in a matter of minutes.

"Arthur Pendragon, you must. There is no time to waste. You need to grow up to be a strong man for your mother. I'm counting on you. I believe in you. Lead your mother to safety. I'll meet you there." John wiped the tears away from his son's face and stood up. "Now go." Arthur stood still, crying, his heart breaking from the thought of losing his father. He understood that he needed to move, but he found himself not being able to, his feet glued to the floor as his mind wandered thinking about all the mistakes he had made and all the things he wanted to say. "Go!" The order broke Arthur out of his daze and he felt himself following his mother, now dragging him to the waterfall.

Just as they had crossed the water into the cave, he heard the sound of the bounty hunters jumping in and his father's screams. Arthur held his hands to his ears, his eyes becoming a waterfall, and found himself wrapped in his mother's embrace. Her face was wet too, but she managed to carry Arthur on her back and ran to the safety of the tunnels.

Arthur held onto his mother tightly and bounced along to the rhythm of her step. They reached the fork in the tunnels and Arthur hopped off his mother's back and held her hand tightly, letting her lead him to through the right one. They traveled for hours, mindlessly walking, both silent and sad. The atmosphere was a gloomy one and no one seemed to find the right words to say. Even though John had promised to come back and meet them at the village, both of them knew, it was written clearly in their hearts, the sadness growing as they remembered the screams, that John was gone and his promise was nothing, but a lie.

They had finally reached the end, but the light they saw was nothing compared to the darkness in their hearts. Arthur took the lead now, not forgetting what his father had told him and his mother smiled sadly, silently admiring her son's courage.

It began to get dark and Arthur and his mother began looking around for a place to spend the night. Luckily, Arthur's mother had eyed a small clump of bushes before it got too dark, and both huddled close and tried their best to sleep.

It was cold and the wind did not help their situation. "I'm scared." Arthur whispered, holding his mother's hand tightly. She just kissed his fingers lovingly and urged him to close his eyes. "But I can't. I keep thinking of Da' and when I do I keep wanting to cry. And it makes me scared. What if they come after us?"

Anna sighed and hugged her son close. "It's going to be alright. Your father is protecting us from heaven." It was the first time the acknowledged out loud that John was gone. The silence was heart-wrenching and Arthur felt his world collapse at that moment. Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt her eyes droop and her breath become slower, when -

"There they are! Get 'em! Worth a lot o' money they are!" A rough voice yipped in excitement and the sound of a pack of dogs barking followed soon after.

Anna felt her breath hitch as she stood up. She frantically pulled Arthur awake and grasped his hand so tight, his fingers were turning blue. "Run. Run!" Anna dragged her son along as she raced around the trees. She just needed a place to hide Arthur. She felt her son slowing down and yanked on his arm to get him to run faster. They ran for only God knows how long and Anna could feel her own legs failing.

She tripped and Arthur fell on top of her. Anna could feel her heart racing and the pain in her chest from running so hard. She frantically looked around for anything, any hiding place for Arthur. Tears were ruining her sight, she was running blindly now, barely holding on to her son's hand.

That was when she saw the light.

It was small house, easy to miss if you weren't looking. Anna knew it was their last chance. "Arthur." She brought her son around so he faced her. His nose was dripping, his eyes red. It seemed that he was crying as well. Anna wrapped her arms around him tightly and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Do you see that house?" Arthur nodded in response, to out of breath to speak. "I want you to run as fast as you can to that house. Don't look back. Just keep running and hide inside." Anna pushed him forward and watched as he waddled as quickly as he could to the small house in the corner. "I love you." She said softly and smiled as her son disappeared inside the building.

She ran faster now, as quick as she could to avoid being captured. At least now I'll be with John, she mused bitterly. Anna stopped. She could not run anymore or she would die. She closed her eyes and smiled. Arthur was safe, Arthur was safe, that was all that mattered to her. Anna took a deep breath and said a prayer one last time.

* * *

_growing up ; (arthur)_

"Quickly boy! There's not a lot of time left." The old man sniffed and continued stirring the soup in the pot. Arthur scrambled to get the eggs, standing on his tip toes, feeling the stool that served as his floor wobble. "Hurry now." The man urged, his mouth turning up into a smile, when he noticed Arthur's predicament. Just when Arthur was about to reach the egg, he fell over and landed on his butt, scaring the chickens. "You clumsy boy." The old man scolded, but helped Arthur up.

"You should be nicer to me! I'm fifteen now." Arthur said happily. The old man chuckled and patted Arthur's head. Arthur scrunched his nose and quickly ran around and jumped on the old man's back. The two fell over and laughed together on the floor. They laid there awhile, both getting lost in their own thoughts when the old man sighed loudly. "What is it Gaius?" Arthur asked.

The old man shook his head and stood up, rubbing his aching knees gently. "It's just, you're growing up so fast. It seems like yesterday when you ran inside my home and knocked me over." At that time, the situation was scary and so unreal. A little boy had barged in, crying for help. Gaius had no idea what to do at that time and wondered constantly if he should have kicked that boy out. Over time, Gaius grew to love that boy and began to be able to call him his own. They had learned to help each other from their sorrows and learned to love each other and grew comfortable together. In a way, Arthur had saved the old man. And the old man saved Arthur.

"Can we eat yet?" Arthur whined, showcasing his best puppy dog eyes. Gaius rolled his eyes, but handed him a bowl with warm soup sloshing around. "Looks yummy." Arthur's eyes gleamed brightly as he dug into the meal.

This was Arthur's home now. It was comfortable and it was safe. The cottage was tiny, but it was perfect for just the two. Gaius watched Arthur carefully as he stuffed himself. Arthur knew Gaius was worried about his well-being, the old man did go on and on about how important it was to express one's 'feelings' and 'talk it out', but Arthur often felt that these precautions were unnecessary. He was happy here. He felt fine. "I love you, Arthur. Don't ever grow up."

Arthur rolled his eyes, but smiled down at his bowl. "I love you too Gaius."

And with that, they were silent again, the only sound audible coming from the fire crackling in the hearth.

X

Arthur was tired. Yesterday was a long day of physical training - Gaius made sure that Arthur was fit and strong - and he was sore all over. He lugged the water bucket slowly, not really caring if the water spilt out of the sides. The hill was a steep one and coming down required more effort to keep from falling.

"Is that too heavy for you?" A pretty voice chirped. Arthur nearly jumped three feet in the air, scared out of his wits. He swiveled around to come face to face with a pretty girl. He stared at her curiously, the last girl he had seen was his mother, and that was ages ago. She giggled. "Stunned by my beauty?"

Arthur shook his head slowly. She was beautiful, he admitted. Her chocolate skin shined in the sun and her pretty eyes twinkled with amusement. "I-I'm Arthur." He stuttered, feeling his cheeks get hot. She smiled, revealing a set of perfect white teeth, completely straight. Arthur felt himself growing embarrassed at his crooked teeth and wondered if it made him look a donkey as Gaius had said.

"I'm Guinevere, but they all call me Gwen." She said this with great confidence, smiling again, revealing those perfect teeth again. "I haven't seen you around before." She tilted her head curiously, wondering who this mystery boy was. He was definitely older than her, but not by much. His hair was fair and he had smooth pale skin, which she liked. Most boys in her village had red pimples growing all over their faces. He was quite handsome, Gwen thought, a mystery boy she had to figure out.

"Well." It was awkward now. Arthur wished he hadn't spoken. Here he was, standing with a beautiful girl and all he could manage was a "well". Gaius would've been so proud.

"Gwenny!" A voice called in the distance. Gwen looked down and gave a sad smile, almost as if she was unwilling to go.

"See you around?" She asked hopefully, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Yeah!" Arthur said excitedly. He lifted his hand to wave goodbye and dropped the water bucket in the process. The water splashed everywhere including on Gwen's clothes. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

She put her finger against his lips, laughing. "It's quite all right." She gathered her skirts and picked up the water bucket she had placed on the ground. "It seems it was too heavy for you." She winked and turned away and Arthur watched her disappear into the distance, his cheeks turning crimson.

X

"Five more minutes!" Arthur whined into his pillow. Gaius sighed and continued pulling on Arthur's legs. "I'm too sleepy to function." Arthur writhed around, trying his hardest to keep Gaius from grabbing him.

"Arthur! If you don't move right now, I will not bake that cake for you."

Arthur laid still for a moment and quickly got up. He saluted to his guardian and hurriedly dressed and washed his face. Gaius rolled his eyes, but smiled. To Gaius, Arthur would always be a little child, the little boy that had run into his house all those years ago. He could hardly believe that Arthur was twenty-five now. A grown man now ready to forge his own life. Gaius sniffed and did his best to hide his tears from Arthur.

Arthur noticed though and sighed sadly. He went to Gaius and gave him a big hug. "You have been a father to me, the best parent anyone could ever ask for. I know we don't always get along and I know I've been difficult, but you've been so patient, so caring, so gentle. I may have my birth father and my birth mother, but Gaius, it's you, it's you who took me in and raised me to be the man I am today. And I thank you."

Gaius held Arthur tightly. Arthur had grown up to be a wonderful man. A man anyone would be proud of, any woman would fall for, anybody would be honored to call friend. "I'm so proud of you." He said softly and let go of the embrace. Arthur was crying too and they hugged once more. "Now! Let's see about that cake..." Gaius said, lightening up the mood. Arthur chuckled and followed behind, excited for the day.

X

It was a wild party, at least that was how Arthur would describe it. Gaius had slinked off to his bedroom, not approving of what was going on, but not wanting to spoil the "hooliganses" fun. Arthur held a drink in his hand and could feel his head hurting from a lack of control. Guinevere was by his side, stroking his chest and blabbering about apples. It was a surprise party thrown by a few kids his age in the village. He had not known these people very well, but apparently Guinevere had often talked of him and they had come to celebrate his birthday. He was thankful, but Arthur silently wished that the party would die down and he and Gaius could sit together and light the candles on the homemade birthday cake.

"Another drink?" came the voice of Gwaine, the village drunkard. A little girl trailed behind, holding onto the back of Gwaine's shirt tightly. "Leggo little rabbit, I need another drink." He tried to pull her off, but the girl squeezed his shirt even tighter, ready to rip it off if he took another step towards the drinks table. Gwaine sighed and peeled her hands off his shirt and held her hand in his. "You win. Let's go home."

Addie beamed and bounced along as Gwaine left the party. Arthur watched this exchange with amusement. When Addie had first come to the village, everyone kept away from her because of her oriental looks and the long scar across her chubby cheeks. Guinevere and Gwaine were the first to take her in as a friend and it seemed that Gwaine had adopted her as a little sister.

Guinevere smiled and decided it was time for her to leave as well. She turned to Arthur who was absorbed in something else and grabbed his collar and pulled him down for a kiss. She made sure to clash her tongue with his and smirked when she heard his moan. Guinevere released herself and smiled sweetly at the dazed Arthur. "Happy birthday." She said nonchalantly and sauntered out the cottage, leaving a pouting Arthur behind her.

The minutes meshed into hours and after the sky turned completely black, the last man (Elyan, of all people), had finally left the party. Arthur collapsed onto a chair, tired and absorbed the heat from the fire. "Quite a party, wasn't it?" Gaius came out of his room and settled down on the chair next to Arthur. Arthur could only nod in agreement. "I guess you'd be too tired to have some of the cake I baked-"

Arthur jumped up. "Cake? Where? Let's go have some cake, Gaius." Gaius lifted an eyebrow in amusement and laid the cake out on the table. He rummaged through some papers and found the candles and placed them neatly on the cake.

"Leohtbora." Gaius whispered and his eyes flashed gold. Arthur watched in amazement. Magic would always fascinate him. Although Gaius had warned him about getting too drawn by magic, Arthur could not help but love it. He desperately wished he could practice it, but Gaius had carefully explained to Arthur that becoming a sorcerer was not a part of his destiny. He had understood, but still felt an aching in his heart whenever he thought about it. "Happy birthday, Arthur." Gaius said warmly, breaking Arthur away from his thoughts.

"Happy birthday to me." Arthur said quietly. He closed his eyes and blew.

Arthur then fell to the floor, feeling himself losing consciousness, the sound of Gaius' worried voice fading away into the distance.

X

He awoke with a start. Arthur blinked, trying to adjust to the light and noticed he was sitting in a pure white room so bright that his skin seemed to glow. It was an empty room that seemed to go on forever, but Arthur had noticed the doorknob in the corner. He shook his head and stood up, reaching out to open the door, when he was thrown back suddenly by a gust of wind. Arthur hit his head against the wall, hard, and noticed the droplets of blood, staining the white floor. "Arthur Pendragon." A woman's voice spoke.

Arthur quickly looked up and saw that he was facing three hooded figures dressed in all black. He suddenly felt very cold and shivered as they stepped closer. "Your destiny awaits you." Another figure said. Her voice was light and kind, while the first voice was cruel.

"You shall find a man named Emrys. He will be looking for you as you are looking for him." The third figure stepped forward and Arthur found himself to be staring into dead blue eyes.

"You will fulfill your destiny, Pendragon," the first voice said the last word with a certain contempt and Arthur wondered what it meant. "You will do as the great Emrys says. Listen to him, although it may be difficult. Good luck. The fate of Albion rests on your shoulders, young one."

The three bowed their heads and all of a sudden Arthur felt himself being spun around and around into a great big hole of darkness that had opened below.

X

"Thank goodness you're alright." He was being hugged by Gaius and all of a sudden the cold that Arthur had felt melted away in the embrace. "What happened?" Gaius was worried. His eyes were frantic, searching Arthur for any injuries.

"Do you know a man named Emrys?"

At this, Gaius froze. His hands moved slowly to rest on his lap and he gazed off into the distance, remembering something that Arthur would never know. "How do you know that name?" Gaius asked finally, eyes still locked on something Arthur could not pinpoint.

"These three hooded people came to me and told me it was my destiny to find Emrys and something about someone named Albion and I was just wondering." Arthur felt himself feeling nervous, like he had done something wrong and was awaiting Gaius' punishment.

Gaius was silent for a long time. Arthur was fidgeting, disliking the silence. "I wish I could tell you, Arthur. But it is not in my place to do so."

"I understand." Arthur said suddenly. He could feel his annoyance rising and secretly wished he had not said anything in the first place. Gaius noticed this burst of anger and faced Arthur so that were eye to eye. Arthur saw the sadness in Gaius' eyes, they were so raw, so sad that Arthur had to turn away. His heart sank at the thought of Gaius and his eyes and how sad he looked. Arthur felt guilt rising up his chest, but pushed it down, telling himself that it was natural to be angry.

"I want to tell you Arthur. But it is not the right time." Gaius paused, searching Arthur's face for some sort of reply. "The only thing I can tell you though," he continued, "is that Emrys is someone who is intertwined with you. You are two sides of the same coin. You must find each other. You two are destined to work together to unite the world."

Arthur gaped at Gaius, not really comprehending what was going on. Him? Arthur? Uniting the world? Now that was a bit ridiculous, Arthur thought. There were diplomats for that sort of thing. There were educated people, rich people, nice looking people, Arthur certainly wasn't one of those kinds of people.

Gaius noticed his expression and squeezed Arthur's hand gently. "I know it's a lot, Arthur. But it's true. Over time, you will grow to be a great ruler and will unite the world to create Albion. one united land."

Arthur simply sat there, still shocked. His mind was turning gears. He thought maybe it was a joke. It had to be! There was no way Arthur was a leader. He couldn't even kiss a girl right! It was a cruel joke that Gaius was playing as a twenty-fifth birthday prank. Arthur began laughing. Yes, that was what it was. Gaius was messing around. There was no way a man like him, a man who could not even save his parents, could lead the world. It was preposterous, ridiculous. It was beyond unthinkable.

"Arthur?" Gaius said hesitantly. Arthur's laughing threw Gaius off, he had no idea how to respond to that. "Arthur, are you okay?" Gaius shook Arthur's shoulders a little bit. Arthur's eyes flashed with anger, but cooled down immediately.

"It's a funny joke Gaius. Magic sure is a powerful thing." He said coldly. Arthur was hurt, the joke was not funny to him. It was painful.

"It's not a joke, Arthur. I'm being serious. I don't know how to prove it to you. I'm being serious!" Gaius was pleading, sweat dripping from his brow as he desperately tried to convince Arthur of the truth. Arthur rolled his eyes and stepped away from the table. The house was dark now, the faint glow from the fireplace dying out. With his eyes still trained on Gaius, Arthur moved back to his room and shut the door behind him. In the darkness, Arthur curled up in his bed, his head spinning, his heart hurting. He began to wonder whether or not it really was a joke and who this Emrys person was. Arthur felt his thoughts and question choke him and he fell into a deep, deep sleep.

X

A tall lanky boy was there with dark hair and blue eyes that seemed so unnatural. He was standing next to another boy, younger in age and shorter in height, with a mop of curly hair and a light-hearted expression. They both were standing on the edge of a cliff with a pack of hungry jackdogs coming towards them. "Mordred stay behind me!" The older boy yelled, the younger boy hid behind the first boy's skinny frame and watched with frightened eyes. "Wa`ce ierlic!" The tall boy threw his hands forward and his eyes flashed gold. The jackdogs all were thrown back and motionless.

The tall boy crumpled and Mordred ran up in front and dragged the older boy away from the edge. "You saved us." Mordred said smiling. The tall boy nodded and pat his hair.

"I saved us." He whispered.

The image swirled and Arthur found himself in the white room again. He was used to the bright white and stood up pulling on the doorknob. The door wouldn't budge. Arthur pulled harder.

"It's a push door." The kind voice from his first dream told him. He turned around and was face to face with a beautiful girl. "My name is Nimueh." She said. Her voice carried an unnatural wave of peace and tranquility and Arthur found himself wanting to sleep. "I see you don't believe what Gaius has told you?"

"It's impossible." Arthur said decidedly.

"And why is that?" Nimueh leaned forward, her lips almost touching Arthur's, her eyes boring into his. Arthur could feel his heart race and his breath hitched. Nimueh smirked and gently caressed Arthur's left cheek. "What if it was true?"

Arthur gulped. He didn't want to dwell on that. "Who was the man I just saw? He has magic, just like Gaius."

"That, my dear Arthur, is your Emrys." Arthur's eyes fell to the floor. Emrys hadn't looked a day over twenty.

"He may be young, but he is powerful. He killed me once. And that, my friend, is an extremely difficult feat." She said this without a tone of anger or bitterness. She was laughing, as if she was proud of this Emrys for killing her. Arthur felt himself edging away from the door. He wanted to know more about this Emrys, this strange creature. "He's beautiful." She licked her lips, smiling to herself. "And you must find him." Arthur looked at her, really looked at her. This Nimueh looked so familiar. Arthur felt as if he had seen her somewhere before. "You must find Emrys."

Arthur nodded slowly. "I must find Emrys."

"But keep in mind," Nimueh grabbed the doorknob. "In this world, he goes by a different name." She turned the knob. "Merlin."

X

Arthur gasped and sat up, finding himself enclosed in darkness. It was just a dream. Only a dream, he told himself. But Arthur knew it was much more than that. For in every dream, there was always at least a small thread of reality. Arthur knew that in this dream, the reality was much more than just a thread.

Arthur crept out of his bed and began rumbling through his closet for clothes. He put on his ring - it was his mother's - and stepped out of the room. He tripped over a sleeping Gaius.

"Arthur!" Gaius exclaimed. He looked like he had been crying and pulled Arthur into a bone-crushing hug. "I know you don't believe me, but I didn't do this to hurt you. Maybe I'm an old man off my rocker, maybe I'm going crazy, think what you will. But please you have got to believe me, I would never hurt you, Arthur."

"I know." This simple statement caused a long silence between the two. Gaius looked up and noticed Arthur's half full backpack. "I'm leaving." Arthur coughed. "To find Emrys." Gaius lowered his eyes and nodded. "I'll miss you." Arthur managed, holding back tears.

Gaius held Arthur's firmly. "I believe in you, Arthur. I believe in you. You are a wonderful soul. You're so talented, so kind, so honorable, you can't even begin to understand. Know that I'll always be here for you. Always. You are my son. And in a way, Mer-Emrys was my son too. A long, long time ago."

Arthur stayed silent, processing this information. He knew that there was no reason to be jealous.

"I love you Arthur. Don't ever forget that."

"I love you too, Gaius."

They hugged. And Arthur finished packing. Gaius had made sure to give him more than he needed and Arthur found himself lugging around a huge backpack. They shared more goodbyes at the front door and Gaius gave him a final kiss on the cheek.

Arthur walked towards the village, crying, but did not look back. He knew that if he looked back, he would run back into the cottage and never leave. Arthur walked with purpose, he was a changed man now, a man with a destiny.

The sun began rising, showering the hill with radiant colors and beautiful sense of a new day. The birds chirped, the flowers sang, and the trees rustled softly with the wind. Arthur ambled off ready to face the future. _Merlin, Merlin, Merlin_. The name stuck in his head, it sounded so familiar, like an old friend. He could feel his heart beating wildly at the thought of meeting this Merlin figure. He was ready.

* * *

Note: I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! (:


End file.
